Feed-fork



(No Model.)

I. M. STEVENS. FEED FORK.

No. 450,642. Patented Apr. 21,1891.

PATENT Enron.

FRANK M. STEVENS, OF LEBANON, NEYV HAMPSHIRE.

FEED-FORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,642, dated April 21, 1891.

Application filed November 10, 1890. $erial No. 370,879. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. STEVENS, of Lebanon, in the county of Grafton, State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Forks, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved feed-fork, a portion of the dial-handle being broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, taken on line 03 m in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the dial removed. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the dial, the faceplate being removed to show the working mechanism; and Fig. 5, a like View showing a modification thereof.

Like letters and figures of reference indioate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates especially to feedforks which are provided with mechanism for weighing their load; and it consists in certain novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, the object being to produce a simpler, cheaper, and more effective device of this character than is now in ordinary use.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation.

In the drawings, A represents the main handle of the fork, B the supplemental handle, and O the weighing mechanism.

The handle B is provided with tines d in the ordinary manner. The handleAis chambered or socketed longitudinally at f. The handle 13 is reduced at g, said reduced portion being pivoted by its end at h to the inner end of the chamber f in the handle A. A metallic box D is secured on the inner end of the handle A, through which the handle 13 passes, and which supports the weighing mechanism 0. A vertical chamber t' is formed in the lower portion of the box D, and a coiled spring j of known tension is mounted in said chamber, the ends of said spring being provided with horizontal disks k. The upper disk 70 has a cone-shaped stud m centrally disposed thereon, upon which the handle B rests, said stud engaging said handle at a point centrally between its pivot h and the tines d. A thumb-screw 19 passes through the bottom of the chamber 2' and engages the lower disk 70, whereby the tension of said spring on said handle may be regulated.

The box D opens in its top at q and a circular dial-case r is secured thereon. The face of said dial is preferably coated with phosphorescent or other luminous paint to enable it to be used in the dark. An index i is mounted on an arbor o in the usual manner, said arbor bearing apinion w. A verticallyarranged rack y engages said pinion and works between it and a guide-plate ,2 within the box, as shown in Fig. 4. A link 15 connects the rack with an ear 16 on the handle B in the same vertical plane as the springstud m.

The face of the dial (shown in Fig. 3) is provided with an outer row of numeralsindicat- 'ing the weight in pounds anda consecutively increasing inner row, the purpose of which is to enable the finger t to travel twice around the dial and the device to be employed in weighing double the amount as when a single row is used with a springj of the same tension. To cause the index to thus travel, the device shown in Fig. 5 is employed, in which the rack y is toothed on its opposite edge and meshes with a pinion 18 on a stub-shaft 19 within the case a", a gear20 on said stub-shaft meshing with the index-pinion 10. In the mouth of the handle-chamber f two wear or guide plates are inserted for the reduced portion of the handle 13 to play against.-

In the use of my improvement the load is raised by the tines d in the usual way. The handiesection B, moving on its pivot h, descends, compressing the spring-balance j and drawing the rack y downward. This rotates the index-shaft and registers the amount of weight on the dial 0' in the ordinary manner of spring-scales of this class. In the construction described the load on the tines is at the same distance from the point ofcontact of the beam or reduced handle g, with the springj as is the handlefulcrum 72, from said spring. This arrangement is essential to the proper working of the device, as by shorten.-

ing or lengthening the distance between the fulcrum and spring the same amount of load on the tines will exert greater or less leverage and indicate a disproportionate Weight on the dial.

By compounding the index-gears and employing double numbers on the dial, as described, I am enabled to Weigh agreater load with the fork than when a scale of the ordinary form is used.

Having thus explained my inventiomwhat I claim is 1. In a feed-fork of the character described, a chambered main handle, a supplemental handle bearing tines at one end and pivoted by its opposite end in said chamber, and a scale-spring centrally supporting said handle, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, a main handle chambered longitudinally and provided With a spring-scale, in combination with supplemental handle bearing tines and pivoted Within said chamber, said handle resting centrally on the scale-sprin g, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a chambered main handle provided with an indicator-dial, asoale-sprin g disposed in said handle,a supplemental handle bearing tines, said handle being pivoted by an end in said chamber and resting centrally on said spring, and a rack linked centrally to said handle and actuating the dialindex, substantially as set forth.

4L. A feed-fork of the character described, provided with a handle formed in two sections, the tine-section being pivoted by an end in the main section and resting centrally on a scale-spring, an illuminated dial on said main section, provided with an index, and mechanism for actuating said index,substant-ially as set forth.

5. In a device of the character described, the chambered handle A, provided with a spring-scale, as O, in combination with the handle B, pivoted at h and resting centrally on the scale-spring, substantially as set forth.

6. In a device of the character described, the chambered handle A, provided with the adj List-able seale-springj and indicating mechanism therefor, in combination with the tine-handle B, pivoted at 71., said handle being engaged centrally With said spring and 0011- nected with said mechanism, substantially as set forth.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of the chambered main handle A, the tine-hande B, fulcrumed at h and connected centrally between its fulcrum and itines with a scale mechanism on the main handle, substantially as set forth.

'8. The combination of the chambered handle A, provided with the box D and dial a,

Witnesses:

HARVEY A. CoWEN, J. E. DEWEY. 

